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03 Aug 2015 9:15:07am

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The teaching of Christian RE across Australia is a variable thing. In some places it is very evangelical and in other places it is emphatically educational.

In NSW many RE teachers are paid by churches to be in schools to do this task. In all other states the work is conducted by volunteers.

All states except SA make provisions for all religious groups to enter schools to teach the faith to children - generally those who are already adherents. The modern application of "equity and access" principles sometimes means that these religious programs are offered to all children, unless their parents opt them out of it.

The wording of most Education Acts about this matter state clearly that the provision is expressly for the purpose of teaching the tenets and beliefs of that particular religion to their existing adherents. Some SRE providers do this very specifically. Some take all-comers and teach very much with a view to conversion, and others, out of respect for the secular nature of public school settings, seek to inform all-comers about one faith, generally the Christian faith, as a means to understanding our society that has been profoundly influenced by Christianity, to think about how to live well, and perhaps be a bit more tolerant of people with religious world-views.

While some of my Christian colleagues may not agree with me, I do not hold the view that Christianity holds a monopoly on wisdom, nor is the teaching of Christianity the only means by which we might teach kids how to live well. BUT the teaching of Christianity is one means of doing this; it reflects to dominant religious influence within our country and can help kids make sense of some things - even understanding some of the bad things about religion - and consistent results of polling by Morgan Research show that two thirds of the population want weekly RE classes in public schools.

For some time Australia has been characterised as a secular country, and in many respects it is, but I think that in more recent times we have become post-secular; i.e. it has become important in recent times what your religious views are (especially in political contexts). I think that in this context those secularists who wish the public space to be completely devoid of the religious world-view have started up a shrill chorus advocating their view. To do this is just as fundamentalist as the views of some religious people who want the whole world to adopt their religious view - it seeks to impose that one world-view on all. A truly secular state allows a plurality of religious and non-religious world-views, and takes active steps to ensure they all occupy the public space harmoniously.